Stickball Season Ends On Dry Note

Bellagio Team Defeats Wild Bunch For Indoor League Championship.

February 18, 2005|By Kelly Landy Special Correspondent

There's more stickball in Palm Beach County than the games played outside in several parks. And the men of the Indoor Stickball League at the Henry and Ida Hochman Jewish Community Center want everyone to know about it.

The indoor players have many similarities to their outdoor counterparts: They hail from the Northeast and grew up playing the game in the streets of New York City.

But the differences are many. They play no matter what the weather, take the summers off and play on a smaller court. Rather than hitting for distance, indoor stickball players hit for height, too. Depending on where the Spaldeen ball hits the wall, determines the number of bases the batter earns.

Wrapping up another season on Feb. 4, the Bellagio Ballbusters defeated the Wild Bunch 6-2 to take home the championship trophy.

Alan Goldberg of Lake Worth, who is captain of the Ballbusters, said he felt fantastic.

"We played as a team and it was our time," Goldberg said. "We were confident and we did everything together. We're ready to defend our title."

Like many in the league, Goldberg said playing stickball brings back childhood memories.

"I remember playing stickball 50 years ago in Brooklyn on the street corners," he said. "This is like camp for everybody."

After the championship, the teams got together at Dunkin' Donuts, which is a weekly tradition after games win, lose or draw.

Art Brownstein, 58, who is a former JCC personal trainer, began the Indoor Stickball League about seven years ago.

"I just went in the gym and I said, `Anybody want to play stickball?'" said Brownstein, who is originally from Upper Manhattan and was a three-sewer hitter. "I had one guy that said `just a second.' He went to his car and got a stickball bat that he had for probably 40 years in the back of his car."

Jerry Lepson, 75, is also a member of the Ballbusters. He moved to Florida from Long Island, N.Y., seven years ago, just as the indoor league began.

"I was one of the guys who grew up in Brooklyn playing stickball on the streets," said Lepson, who is proud to say he was a two-sewer hitter. "We play on Fridays and I do nothing else. It brings back the old days. It's a great game."

But, when Brownstein originally brought up the idea of stickball to Yale David, 33, the sports director at the JCC, he laughed at the idea.

"I didn't know what stickball was; I played baseball," said David of Wellington who now umpires many of the stickball games. "Art Brownstein is the mastermind behind this whole thing."

Now, Brownstein spends his time trying to get the stem cell research amendment on the ballot in 2006. David took charge of the league.

The league usually has three seasons a year with the next session beginning Feb. 25. The games are seven innings or 50 minutes, except for championship games which have no time limit. The league consistently draws 50 to 60 individuals on usually eight teams.

Marty Friedman, 57, of Lake Worth, is president of the Palm Beach County Senior Stickball League and is the captain of the Purple Haze in the Indoor Stickball League.

"Unfortunately, I fell down and broke my [left] leg," said Friedman, who was injured during the third game. "I tripped in the outfield and was out for the season. I had emergency surgery. Now, I'm mending and I'm looking forward to getting back."

And Gabe Nemeth, 66, of Boynton Beach, is a member of the runner-up Wild Bunch team.

"I'm from the Bronx," he said. "I could hit a lot better. I could field a lot better. I could run a lot faster ... [but] it's camaraderie. It's friendly competition."

For more information, call Yale David at 561-689-7700 or go to www.jcconline.com.